


Last Sentiments

by Cael1004



Category: B.A.P, K-pop
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Angst, Character Death, Fluff, I Tried, M/M, RIP me, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-24
Updated: 2016-01-24
Packaged: 2018-05-15 21:35:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,783
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5801053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cael1004/pseuds/Cael1004
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry Potter!AU DaehyunxYoungjae</p><p>Fate is a cruel mistress. It's inescapable; and past mistakes have a tendency to be repeated. Especially when they've been forgotten.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Last Sentiments

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by Anonymous in the [the_brownie_bunch_4](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/the_brownie_bunch_4) collection. 



> **Prompt:**  
>  **Trigger Warning** : (This is up to the author)  
>  **Characters and / or Pairings** : Daehyun/Youngjae (Other members can make appearances, too)  
>  **Description** : Harry Potter!AU. Person A’s life is apparently perfect, and A is an optimistic, happy-go-lucky sort of person. Then A runs into a boggart, and the boggart changes into Person B’s dead body. A is justifiably terrified, but there’s just one problem - A doesn’t recognize B and has never seen them before. A then must figure out who this person is, that A’s biggest fear is this stranger being dead.

Daehyun woke up in a cold sweat, his bedclothes uncomfortably sticking to his skin and his bangs plastered wildly about his face. It was that nightmare – no, memory – again, of course; it had been long since the occurrence that led to the image that plagued his dreams but it was still as vivid as ever. The boy's dark hair, contrasting his face that was pale – too pale – with the pallor of one who had his life slowly ebb away. His limbs were sprawled haphazardly on the marble floor, one hand gripping tightly a 10" ash wand with a single hair of a unicorn as its core.

Blinking away a few times, the image remained until he forced his eyes to focus on the bed frame, tracing the grain of the worn wood until the boy faded into the blackness surrounding him.

* * *

The chattering voices of his friends was incessant, not helping the slight headache he'd gotten from the lack of sleep. The silver-haired male sighed in frustration, which wasn’t unnoticed by the other male to his right. A hand rested comfortably on his back and he turned to look at Himchan with an inquisitive gaze, but Daehyun’s bright-haired friend just laughed obnoxiously at a joke someone else had made. Their other friends noticed the placement of the blond’s hand and jeered at the two of them, making kissy sounds and suggestively wiggling their eyebrows. Daehyun just scoffed and flipped them off, kind of wishing that Himchan would lessen the skinship between the two of them.

The older male wasn’t annoying per se; he just talked too much at the wrong times. Which happened to be at that very moment. Of course, the crowd around him wasn’t really helping either. Sometimes it was hard being so popular, he supposed, but most of the time, he liked being surrounded by people so bubbly – after all, it wasn’t very easy to keep frowning when he was surrounded by smiling faces. This was why he entertained the other man by laughing at the horrible jokes he made. Hiding things was never his forte – his face always betrayed him – and with how sensitive Himchan was, it was impossible for Himchan not to notice something was bothering Daehyun. Especially when he almost bumped into a scowling Slytherin and the other pulled him back, not a moment too late.

Daehyun was grateful for the blond male, really. He didn’t know what he’d do without the other constantly nagging at him, telling him that moping around wouldn’t solve anything. Honestly, Himchan and Yongguk were his best friends and he was kind of pleased to find out that Himchan would be repeating a year because he failed his O.W.L.s and even more so when the happy male’s end-of-the-year prank had Professor Sprout red in the face and landed him another repeated year. The feeling of guilt was also there, although muted at the prospect of spending two extra years with the person who brought him out of his shell and turned him into the perfect model of a Gryffindor student – outgoing, determined, and brave to a fault – that he was now.

The two of them often sent letters to Yongguk via a barn owl Daehyun’s parents had gotten him, though the latter was too busy with his job as an Auror to reply every single time. Of course Yongguk would choose to be an Auror, Daehyun mused, his infallible sense of justice and protective nature was perfect for the job. He even had the grades for it, being awarded a prefect badge when Daehyun was still in his third year and eventually becoming the Head Boy of house Gryffindor.

The sound of laughing tore him out of his reverie; one of his friends, Serine, was pulling a zip seal bag of… _something_ from her cloak. Upon closer inspection, Daehyun could see that it was a dungbomb. How she had managed to place such a thing in her clothes baffled him. Which didn’t mean much since just about everything about her did. Especially how she’d managed to stay friends with him after their terribly awkward break up the year prior. It was for the best, honestly, but seeing her smiling like that, eyes twinkling, made him miss the secret moments they’d shared holding each other’s hands for warmth after sneaking out to Hogsmeade. Daehyun smiled at her as she divulged her plans for a new prank.

“A week ago,” she started, “I was trying out some lipstick I’d bought over the break in one of the towers when some Ravenclaw kid bumped into me and I dropped it. Obviously, it fell out the window, and that boy didn’t apologize or even realize that he’d bumped into me. That’s why I’ve been… observing them this past week and, at around this time, he’s always at the courtyard doing who knows what.” She held up the bag and continued, “And today, what he’ll be doing is getting hit by this.”

Someone whistled lowly. “Damn, girl, I wouldn’t want to mess with you.” Another said, “Man, Serine, I know you’re tense over the Hufflepuff vs. Ravenclaw Quidditch match but… whoa.”

“Wonder who this poor guy is,” Daehyun offhandedly said, before Serine smirked and went over to the railings. She pointed at a brunet who seemed to be talking to some other kid. With pink hair. Now that was something you didn’t see every day. Speaking of which, the pink-haired boy was also really tall. Daehyun felt a spark of envy at how the kid was obviously much younger than he, but also much taller.

Serine positioned herself so that she was standing directly over the brunet, shouting a short ‘ _head’s up’_ before dropping the dungbomb on the boy’s face. Or, at least, it would have hit his face if some object hadn’t hit it, causing it to explode in mid-air and the smell to spread to both the courtyard and the hallway Daehyun and his group of friends were currently in.

The silver-haired male gagged on the putrid-smelling air for some time before he heard a voice say ‘ _ventus’_ and the air around him cleared to show a black-haired male looking absolutely livid. He was standing at the courtyard, next to the two boys from before, and all three of them had a bubble around their heads. Daehyun realized he must have cast the bubble-head charm sometime before or after he’d sent the object – which he now realized was a football; where did he even get that? – flying toward the dungbomb.

“Detention,” he coldly stated, voice soft yet firm, and Daehyun almost scoffed before he noticed something shining on the other male’s collar. He quickly realized what it was: a prefect badge.

“Shit.”

* * *

 

The hallway was filled with silence, but the tension in the air was palpable. None of Daehyun’s friends had been able to escape getting detention due to the debilitating gas and some of them glared at Serine while the girl just looked forward, not the slightest trace of regret on her face. If anything, she looked annoyed and a bit humiliated at having had her prank turned against her.

The prefect stopped in front of a door to a room the silver-haired male was very much acquainted with: the detention chamber. This elicited multiple groans from the others as well as him but the black-haired male just ignored them and opened the door before stepping inside. After a few moments of hesitation, the group went inside and stood near the door awkwardly, wanting to just run away but being unable to at the thought of even more detention if they did.

The black-haired male, who Daehyun now noticed had a green and silver striped tie, exhaled deeply before saying, “Wait here, I’ll be back with Professor McGonagall and Professor Sprout and they can decide what to do with you.” A collective groan spread throughout the small room but, again, the boy paid them no mind. He exited from the room and as soon as the door was closed, his friends started to chatter and rant about how much they hated detentions and, by extension, the Slytherin boy.

Daehyun turned to Serine, saying, “Man, you really fucked up this time,” but before he could get another word in, she interrupted.

“Well, how was I supposed to know that idiot was friends with him?” she snapped. By how confused Daehyun looked, she must have realized he didn’t know who she was talking about and her voice softened just a tiny bit. “That Slytherin boy. He’s pretty well known for being such a hard ass about the rules.” She paused. “I heard he’s given more detention than Yongguk’s given in all his three years of being a prefect and head boy. And he’s only been prefect for a few months!”

Daehyun frowned at her words. Yongguk didn’t really like reprimanding people but he knew the older male had sent a lot of people to detention – especially people who were bullying others. At the thought of Yongguk, he realized that Himchan had been uncharacteristically quiet the whole time since Serine had told them about her prank. Looking around, he saw the blond leaning on a wall, away from the others. He looked worried and Daehyun went over to him, forgetting that Serine was still speaking to him.

“Himchan?” he said, tentatively. The elder stopped biting his lip and looked over at him, before waving him off and biting his lip again. The silver-haired male knew whatever worrying him must be serious since Himchan wasn’t normally the type to be so terse whenever something bothered him. Daehyun was about to ask him why he seemed so tense when the door swung open loudly and Professor McGonagall stepped into the room, Professor Sprout and the Slytherin boy following her.

“You lot again?” she started, sounding exasperated. Both her and Professor Sprout both looked quite chuffed seeing Daehyun and his friends, who’d been in plenty of detentions in the years prior. She was about to start admonishing them, but seemed to realize that the Slytherin prefect was still in the room. She turned to him and said, “Mr. Yoo, you may go now.” After this, he bowed at her and left the room, not once looking at the direction of Daehyun and his friends.

At the mention of the prefect’s last name, Himchan stiffened. Daehyun was concerned about his friend before, but now he was mostly curious about why the older male was acting like he was. It was as if he was afraid of something. What that was, Daehyun hadn’t the slightest idea. The mood between them was uncomfortable, and Daehyun tended to say the stupidest things in moments like those. “Heh, we’re, uh, really fucked, huh?” he tried to joke, but was met with silence. Clearing his throat, he tried again. “I can still taste that dungbomb in my mouth.” He pulled a face. “As soon as they let us go, let’s go convince one of the elves to give us food, yeah?” Himchan didn’t even show any sign of hearing his words and the silver-haired male sighed in defeat. He was about to try pinching the blond before he noticed someone staring – or more accurately, glaring – at him.

It turned out to be Professor McGonagall and she was glaring at him with an expression he’d seen many times before. It seemed that his one-sided exchange with Himchan only made her more furious than she already was. She started to scold them but all of her words went in one ear and out the other with how distracted the silver-haired male was.

By the time both professors told them their punishment, Daehyun was too lost in his own thoughts that he hadn’t even heard a single word. He’d had to go and ask a slightly miffed Serine what it was, since Himchan had dashed out the door the moment the professors left without even looking back when Daehyun called out to him. The fact that the older male was going through such lengths to avoid him was frustrating and it reminded him of a time a few years back when the other had done the same.

That was truly a horrible year for Daehyun – boring and uneventful, with his two best friends avoiding him as if he’d been hit with some horrible combination of the pepper breath hex, the pus-squirting hex, and the pimple jinx. And given a hate potion to top it all off. Suffice to say, experiencing that again was something that he wanted to happen ever again.

He’d shared this sentiment with Himchan, who reassured him it would never happen again. Yet it was, and the thought of it made the silver-haired male so bitter that he’d decided to skive off from his Transfigurations class and go to the library to write Yongguk a letter demanding to know what had happened two years ago. It might’ve been a futile attempt but he at least wanted to try since it seemed like Himchan wasn’t going to answer his questions or even look at him for at least the next few weeks.

“Fuck, Dae, are you even listening to me? Here I am, being a good friend and answering your questions but you’re just standing there, muttering some bullshit about pus and pimples.” A voice – as well as a hard slap to his arm – brought him out of his thoughts. Serine was rolling her eyes at him. “Why am I even friends with you?” she huffed.

“Professor McGonagall said you’d be fixing or rearranging the books in the library as punishment. Much better than polishing silverware, like we have to do. And to make sure you don’t slack off – don’t give me that face. I’m sure she knows how much the others and I have to do just for you to even show up to her class, let alone remember to do your homework – that prefect from before is going to be monitoring you. You know, the Slytherin. It’s strange just how much she trusts him but— hey, where are you going? Daehyun!”

Without bothering to even say goodbye, he left her to go to the library. Hopefully, he’d be able to borrow some parchment and ink from someone else and then he could write to Yongguk. _I hope he responds,_ the silver-haired male thought, muttering the different things he needed to ask. 

* * *

 

Daehyun bit his lip. It had been days and he still hadn’t heard from the Auror. Himchan hadn’t said a word to him either. And, of course, his last conversation with Serine went terribly – it was his fault, he knew that – so she, and the rest of his group of friends, had been avoiding him as well. Even the pudding that he loved so much tasted bland. His life was reverting to the way it had been two years ago and it made his stomach hurt. He hadn’t been able to sleep peacefully since then, either, and felt lethargic all the time, which was why he’d been skiving his punishment in favour of just lying down on his bed and staring at the wooden underside of the bed atop his.

The silver-haired male knew he wouldn’t be able to avoid rearranging dull, heavy books any longer or Professor McGonagall would sentence him to something much worse, but even just the thought of it made his stomach twist and turn as if he’d eaten a puking pastille. Actually, he’d eat one of those if it meant he wouldn’t have to face anyone he knew and see them pointedly ignore him.

Just as he thought of asking one of his house mates for the sweet, he saw a menagerie of owls flying towards his table. It wasn’t the number that astonished him, rather, it was the fact that his tiny barn owl was also flying alongside other owls, clutching a letter in its claws. He landed roughly on the table, slightly skidding to a stop in front of the kid next to Daehyun, who looked dismayed at the few feathers that the owl had shed into his pudding.

Daehyun murmured a short apology while quickly switching the boy’s pudding with his own before he grabbed the owl and meticulously untied the slip knot Yongguk had used to bind the letter to the bird’s claw. As soon as the parchment was removed, the owl set off into the air again, heading for the Owlery. After watching the animal for a bit, the silver-haired boy looked down at the letter in his hands and ran his fingers over the cleanly folded edges and along the embossed wax seal. He recognized the emblem to be one made with the wooden seal that the three of them had carved when Yongguk was in his seventh year.

Nostalgia crept through him and he smiled faintly at the memory before tucking the piece of parchment inside his cloak. It was too important to be read in public and Yongguk was very particular about others seeing his letters. Daehyun had to admit the Auror was just a smidge paranoid. Rising from the seat, Daehyun made his way to the library. First period was free time so he might as well start with his mandatory ten-something hours of rearranging books. 

* * *

 

The silver-haired male arrived at the library slightly winded; he hadn’t realized just how fast he was walking and underestimated how much stamina he’d had. Stepping inside, he’d checked the different shelves and, not long after, spotted the black-haired male that was supposed to be monitoring him. Suddenly, he’d felt a bit sheepish for his actions. That the other male would be waiting for him all this time was not something he’d thought would happen and the fact that he was… well, it was a bit humbling.

“Decided to come today, huh?” the Slytherin said, voice soft and gaze inquisitive – a dash of sarcasm staining his voice. He got up from his chair and headed for the row of tables near the windowsill, books stacked atop the worn wood. “You take all these books and put them back in the proper shelves. Here,” he held out several sheets of parchment, “I’ve written down which type of books belong in the different shelves.” After placing it on one of the numerous tables, he headed back to where he was seated before Daehyun had arrived, thumbing the pages of a heavy-looking book the silver-haired male hadn’t realized he was holding.

Without another word, Daehyun picked up the parchment and examined it. The handwriting was cleaner than he had thought, given his limited interaction with other Slytherins, and the words were very meticulously written. The first page had the shelf number and subject matter it contained and the second had a map of the placement of the shelves. It was easy to understand and obviously took a lot of time to make. _Of course, given that you abandoned your punishment for days, he definitely would have had enough time to do this while waiting for you,_ his mind betrayed him.

He took some time to understand the layout of the library, taking care not to even look at the Restricted Section or make too much noise for fear that Filch would suddenly appear. He was already in too much trouble. The books on the rows of tables were still there when he went back – their numbers intimidating – but Daehyun doubted that these were all the books he needed to put back in their proper shelves. Fortunately, he’d found that most of these all belonged to the Reference Section of the library, which was much smaller in comparison.

Unfortunately, however, there were a number of books that were too heavy for Daehyun to carry without foregoing his cumbersome cloak. The books had once slipped from his arms because he was trying to fix his cloak, which kept sliding down his shoulder. He’d also managed to almost knock down one of the bookshelves when he bumped into it. The tables were a whole section away from their appropriate places and the repetitive motion of going back and forth was uninteresting, to say the least.

All the while, the Slytherin boy was busy reading his thick book, eyes silently poring through the pages and absorbing relevant information. Sometimes, he would pause for a bit as if he were questioning the content but would soon resume reading after a few moments.

After moving about a stack and a half of books, he realized that it was almost time for him to go to his Herbology class. With the incident that occurred, it probably wasn’t the best idea to skive off the class or even the normally timid Professor Sprout would think badly of him. Hesitating a bit, he whispered a quick, _‘bye,’_ before taking his cloak from atop the desk in which he’d paced it, leaving the library, and heading to the greenhouse.

* * *

 

The rest of his day passed by uneventfully and he didn’t see Himchan, Serine, or any of his other friends. Daehyun wasn’t sure whether he was thankful for that or not. He did, however, see the tall pink-haired boy from the incident with his friend and the Slytherin prefect whose name he still didn’t know. Well, aside from his last name, which was ‘Yoo.’ The other did look Korean to him but he thought it was kind of strange for them not to be acquainted due to the few students of eastern origin in the school. He briefly wondered if another school teaching magic over in the east existed but quickly dismissed the thought because he’d arrived at the library.

Truthfully, all he’d wanted was to go back to his room and read Yongguk’s letter but he knew that postponing his punishment wouldn’t do him any good. With the resolve to only stay for an hour, he stepped inside and headed for the part of the library the prefect had been in. Sure enough, the other was there but what was surprising was the fact that the book Daehyun was sure he’d been reading was on top of one of the many stacks of books. Daehyun supposed he deserved it, but being the errand boy of some Slytherin he’d only met a few days before and didn’t know a thing about just didn’t sit well with him.

Coughing subtly, Daehyun approached the other male, who just looked up from his book – even thicker than the one from this morning – and gave him a cursory glance before returning to the compendium of… hexes?

Seeing as that wasn’t enough to get the black-haired male’s attention, Daehyun spoke up. “Hey, that book…” he paused uncertainly. Did he want to be friends with this person or not? “What’s it about?” he finished lamely.

The other male looked perplexed at the question – as if he were questioning Daehyun’s observational skills. Or communication skills. Daehyun wasn’t sure. “It’s the second volume in a collection discussing different hexes and counter-hexes.” He looked at the Gryffindor appraisingly. “I doubt it would suit your taste.” His eyes narrowed. “Unless you’re planning on doing something to my friends again. If so, then go fuck yourself.”

He’d said the words with such venom that it took Daehyun aback. After he recovered however, he retorted, “Hexes are defensive magic. A person would think you’d know that seeing how much of a—” Realizing that arguing wouldn’t do either of them any good, he composed himself before adding, “It wasn’t my fault that your friend just happened to piss Serine off. It also wasn’t my idea to drop that stupid dungbomb on your friend’s head. Besides, thanks to you, neither of your friends were harmed unlike us. We’re even being punished for it. Can’t you just let bygones be bygones?”

The other male still looked apprehensive but nonetheless held out his hand, which Daehyun grasped in a firm handshake. “Very well.” An uncomfortable silence passed between the two before the other let out a sigh. “Youngjae Yoo. Slytherin prefect, as you can see. 6th year.”

“Daehyun Jung. Gryffindor. 7th year,” Daehyun returned before setting out to work.

* * *

 

Daehyun knew his relationship with his other friends was worsening but, somehow, he couldn’t find it in him to care. After all, Youngjae was good company. Aside from all the snarky comments, that is. It was amazing just how quickly the two of them befriended each other. It was as if they’d known each other their whole lives. Despite the two of them being from two houses that got along as much as mustard went with ice cream, they’d found that they’d had a lot of things in common.

That day, in particular, the two of them were talking under the shade of a tree in the courtyard. It had started off well, with Daehyun asking for help pronouncing the different spells. Unsurprisingly, when the two of them became friends, Youngjae started to teach him about the things he didn’t understand and encouraged him to actually study. Daehyun found it much easier to memorize spells when they were said in Youngjae’s rough voice compared to when they were said in his own.

As the day progressed, they found themselves talking about nonsensical topics until the silver-haired male remembered something he’d been meaning to ask the other. “Hey, remember the day we met?” Youngjae stiffened a bit but Daehyun paid him no mind. He noticed that the other did that sometimes. “The thing you used to hit the dungbomb, was it a football?”

The black-haired male’s eyes widened, “You saw that? Well, technically, I’m not supposed to have it but since it isn’t distracting me from my studies… I was allowed to bring it with me. I don’t play much now, though, Quidditch practice is kind of exhausting.”

“Don’t you have to be really good at aiming and hand eye coordination to hit something as small as a dungbomb?” Daehyun didn’t want to admit that he hadn’t known Youngjae played Quidditch. “And, oh, what position do you play?” he tried to say nonchalantly.

Judging by Youngjae’s snort, he’d seen through his bluff. Of course he would. Daehyun was never able to fool the Slytherin male. It was as if he could see right through him. Youngjae, on the other hand, was a mystery to Daehyun.

“I’m a chaser. You know, the one that scores points in the game,” he smirked, poking fun at Daehyun’s lack of knowledge regarding the game. The Gryffindor couldn’t help it. None of his friends were even remotely interested in Quidditch, although Yongguk had been asked many times by the team captain to be part of the Gryffindor team.

Just as he was about to retort, he saw a familiar head of blond hair pass by and stop to look at them. After weeks of being ignored by the older male, Daehyun was caught off guard by Himchan’s gaze. The expression of astonishment and uneasiness disconcerted him and he was unable to look away until he felt an elbow digging into his side.

“Dae, are you listening to me?” Just the use of the nickname was enough to make him look back at Youngjae. The softness with which he said it sent waves of nostalgia through him, though he didn’t know why. There was also something in the black-haired male’s hazel eyes – an emotion that Daehyun couldn’t quite decipher. But, in an instant, that emotion was gone as Youngjae looked over at the direction of Himchan. The Slytherin paled and turned to look at Daehyun, giving him a soft smile before trying to continue where the conversation had left off.

* * *

He doesn’t know when it started, but he knows he’s in too deep. Just the thought of being without Youngjae made him feel like an incomplete puzzle, only one piece away from being complete. The thought of losing the other made him feel sick. Somehow, in between their mock fights and playful jabs, Youngjae had become an existence that was inextricable from Daehyun’s life. He’d fallen and wasn’t sure if he wanted to get back up.

* * *

Of course, knowing how Daehyun couldn’t keep a secret to save his life, it didn’t take long for him to accidentally blurt out the phrase _‘I like you.’_ But Daehyun was also somewhat of a coward because he’d never liked someone as much as he did the Slytherin and it took him three whole days before asking _‘will you be my… boyfriend?’_ and sounding unsure even after mulling it over for days.

The first thing Youngjae did when he asked was let out a breathy laugh, eyes forming into crescents. The black-haired male hit his Daehyun’s shoulder, murmuring a soft ‘yes’ and intertwining their fingers together. Youngjae was so beautiful. Daehyun really felt like kissing him then, and so he did. The happiness was too much and they giggled like schoolgirls in between the kisses. Youngjae’s lips were much, _much_ softer than he imagined.

* * *

Daehyun had found that Youngjae was actually a very affectionate person; resting his head on the silver-haired male’s shoulder, holding hands with him, tracing small shapes on his thigh. He’d also found out that Youngjae’s playful slaps actually hurt despite his lithe body. It all just made Daehyun fall more into Youngjae’s charms.

In many ways, their relationship hadn’t changed, like asking the elves for food at odd times of the day, talking to each other for hours on end, and Youngjae helping him study. But in some, it had changed completely. First of all, Daehyun actually went to the Quidditch games, cheering loudly for Youngjae even with the other Gryffindors glaring at him. His first experience at a Quidditch game was exhilarating but also tiring, and the two of them ended up cuddling at the Slytherins’ dormitories since the silver-haired male had incurred the wrath of his housemates.

Then the two of them had a date a Hogsmeade and purchased some of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans. The rest of the day was spent at a secluded area near the Forbidden Forest, trying them out and making faces at each other when they got something that tasted terrible. It would have been a normal day if Youngjae hadn’t picked a white bean that looked innocent enough, but actually wasn’t. Seeing the Slytherin male’s face, Daehyun had jokingly asked what flavour it was and how it tasted. Surprisingly, the younger grabbed his robes and pulled him into a deep kiss. Regrettably, though, the taste was different from their previous kisses; it tasted quite bitter and quite… soapy. After that, they decided to forego eating the beans and get a steaming cup of tea to wash the taste from their mouths.

The times he spent with Youngjae were the happiest times, but, for some odd reason, Daehyun always felt a bit funny. There was a weird feeling in his gut and it made him feel uneasy. It was something he could ignore at first, but as he spent more and more time with the Slytherin, the feeling grew. As much as he wanted to become more comfortable with his boyfriend, the silver-haired male was constantly distracted and had frequent headaches. His nightmares were also increasing in intensity, though the boy’s normally crystal clear face had become blurred. It was getting progressively worse until, one day, Daehyun snapped at Youngjae, his emotions getting the better of him. His mind only cleared when the Slytherin kicked his shin before walking away, and by then, it was too late.

* * *

It was impossible. No matter how much the Gryffindor male tried, the intricate motions were too complicated. He hadn’t memorized the different incantations either. He was starting to lose hope in passing his N.E.W.T.s and the fact that he was still behind in his classes because he skived off too much wasn’t helping.

A hand on his shoulder brought him out of his self-pity. It was Youngjae, of course, and he was smiling at him. “You’re too stiff; loosen up,” he murmured and the hand that was previously on the silver-haired male’s shoulder travelled to his wrist. The Slytherin guided the other’s hand in making the motion, his grip firm.  When it was clear that Daehyun wasn’t improving, Youngjae brought out his wand in order to show him how it really looked. With a start, Daehyun recognized it almost immediately. A ten-inch wand made out of ash with a single hair of a unicorn as its core.

 _It couldn’t be,_ he thought. He refused to accept it. Just the thought filled him with so much anxiety that he felt as if his body had been submerged into a frozen lake in the dead of winter. The harsh reality both confused and terrified him. He couldn’t be there any longer. So he ran.

* * *

Daehyun needed answers, and he knew just where to get them. He knew it was suspicious that Himchan started to avoid him just when Youngjae appeared. The older male must have known something. And if Himchan knew something about them, then it was likely that Yongguk did too. That was why he cornered the other male when he’d just about had enough of the situation; having obtained information on how to enter the Hufflepuff common room from Serine. The female had cooed at him when she’d found out about his relationship with the Slytherin prefect and told him how to get inside their common room if ever they needed a place to snog. Aptly, Daehyun was disgusted at the idea of kissing Youngjae in a room that smelled like dirt, but was thankful for the information anyway.

As soon as he saw Himchan coming out of the round door leading to the dormitories, the silver-haired male grabbed his arm. “We need to talk,” he said, garnering quite a bit of attention from the other Hufflepuffs. Their sleep-addled minds seemed to register that Daehyun was a Gryffindor who didn’t belong there and quickly rushed out the door to presumably go to the great hall. After half an hour, the two of them were finally alone, with Serine only leaving after threatening to hex them if they had a brawl while she was gone.

“Himchan,” Daehyun said, voice wavering slightly. He frowned, clearing his throat before repeating, more firmly this time, “Himchan. I need you to tell me why you’ve been avoiding me. And my… our connection to Youngjae.” The other male looked solemn, hands clasped tightly.

“I hoped this day would never come,” he whispered softly. “I hoped we’d be able to graduate quietly; that the two years I repeated would be uneventful. I hoped you two would never meet again, you and Youngjae. But, of course, it didn’t happen. You two met again, became friends again,” he paused, “fell in love _again_.” Daehyun’s mind was swimming with questions. He didn’t understand what the other male was saying.

Himchan raised his head, staring into the silver-haired male’s eyes. “Daehyun, I… we’ve been keeping something from you. Two years ago,” Daehyun’s eyes widened, recalling those lonely times, “you and Youngjae met, became friends, and, with time, fell in love with each other.

 “The two of you were inseparable. We hadn’t thought anything of it at first, except that it was a bit strange. You withdrew from everyone, even Yongguk and I. Still, we thought it was because your relationship was still in the puppy love stages.” Himchan had the faintest hint of a smile. “But we were wrong. We didn’t realize how wrong until the incident over winter break. The four of us were hanging out here and you dared us to go down some secret passage you’d found. After a long while, we reached a room with a few furnishings. It was quite a peculiar room, with quite a few mismatched drawers.”

Himchan’s voice got softer until Daehyun had to strain his ears to hear what he was saying. “I remember telling you not to, but you opened one of the closets and inside it was a boggart. Normally, the creature would’ve been confused because there were so many of us, but the rest of us weren’t really keen on staying more than a few feet away from the door. I think you can guess what happened but the boggart changed into a dead body. Youngjae’s dead body. We were petrified; Youngjae was shaking. By the time Yongguk had performed the Riddikulus charm, you were out cold on the floor.

“After that, you were hysterical. I heard from Yongguk that you’d wake up screaming in the middle of the night and would leave to try and find Youngjae. We didn’t know what to do and you weren’t getting better. The professors found out and made you go to Madam Pomfrey. They detained you and, after a few days, made us choose whether to send you to St. Mungo’s or to erase your memories of him. So,” he paused, looking pained, before continuing, “Yongguk and I decided to choose the latter. Yongguk introduced him to you, you see, so he felt responsible and asked if he could perform the Obliviate spell on you. They allowed him to and he’s been carrying that burden all these years.”

Hearing all of it, the silver-haired male felt numb. All he wanted to do now was to go back to his room and curl up into a ball, but before he could, Himchan spoke up.

“I can’t say that I know how you’re feeling right now, but I promise that we’ll get through this. All right, Daehyun?” The blond pulled him into a tight hug but his words were distant. Daehyun felt too tired to resist and instead clung onto the older male, afraid his knees would give out if he didn’t.

Knowing what had happened between them, how could he ever face Youngjae again?

* * *

“Dae.” It was the moment he had dreaded. Avoiding situations had always been Daehyun’s specialty and it seemed as if the other knew it as well. “Really, if you wanted to break up, you could have just said so.” The Gryffindor immediately looked up, eyes wide, and regretted it when he didn’t see sorrow in the other’s eyes. Instead he saw a hardness that he’d known to be characteristic of the Slytherin male. Yet, there was some warmth in his stare. It made Daehyun nauseous.

“Jae, I…” Youngjae stared at him, arms crossed and lips slightly pursed. Daehyun knew the younger wasn’t as mad as he made himself seem. Though they’d only been together for a month, he’d found himself able to unravel the other and see past the indifferent façade that he wore. “We… were together before. Years ago. But something happened. You were too important. I messed up.” Daehyun’s voice cracked, mind unable to fully admit the truth of his – no, their – past.

The black-haired male took a step back, mouth agape. “You remember? About what happened two years ago?” He paused. “Then, even more reason for us to part ways. What happened before is going to happen again and I can’t let that happen. The two of us… maybe we aren’t meant to be together. Maybe we’ve just been forcing something that was never meant to happen.”

“Don’t you see? The fact that we still ended up together. The fact that I fell for you a second time. And the fact that you never stopped loving me all these years.” He took a step forward. “I… I don’t remember. Himchan told me. But, he didn’t tell me that your memories weren’t erased.” A feeling of uncertainty washed over him and anger as well.

He’d thought it before but Youngjae really was apt at reading his facial expressions. “I don’t need your pity, Daehyun. In fact, it’s the very last thing I want from you.” The Slytherin’s voice was harsh and laced with bitterness. “It’s unfair but I’ve lived well even without you these past years. Jongup and Junhong found me and helped me get better, when it crushed my heart to see you pass by without sparing me so much as a glance. The two of them were too young to have to take care of me, yet they did. So don’t say that it was fate or some bullshit that brought us back together when I only did what I did back then to repay the debt I owe them.”

The tension in the air was so thick it was palpable and the students passing by the hallway made a point to steer clear of the two. A few moments passed like this before Daehyun spoke up. “At least tell me what happened before I…” he trailed off. “Were we happy?”

It looked as if the other was contemplating what to say, with a ghost of a smile, he replied, “Very much so.” Pausing for a bit, he looked Daehyun in the eyes and all the Gryffindor could see was sadness and pain. He’d never seen the black-haired male so unguarded, so _raw_. The two of them looked away before Youngjae took a deep sigh and left Daehyun standing there, heart torn to pieces.

* * *

Poking at his lamb chop, Daehyun felt miserable. Even his friends’ crummy jokes didn’t do a thing to help him feel better. It had been a full month since Youngjae and his exchange but the other seemed to have vanished. The Gryffindor had tried waiting for him at the library, outside of his classes, and at the Quidditch field. He’d even questioned – others would say _‘interrogated’_ but Daehyun was adamant he did no such thing – the other’s Ravenclaw friends where he was, but the two acted daft on purpose. The brown-haired one even asked _‘who’s Youngjae? Haha,’_ which made the Gryffindor almost punch him in the face, Himchan holding him back and Serine cheering from somewhere behind them.

The Gryffindor was just about to pull his hair out in frustration when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Looking around, he saw it was the two Ravenclaws and one of the was holding a piece of parchment towards him. The brown-haired one – Jongup – was smiling nervously while the pink-haired one – Junhong – looked miffed. As the Daehyun took the parchment, Junhong spoke up. “If you hurt him again, I’ll…” he started to say before Jongup covered his mouth.

“Treat him well,” Jongup said, before dragging Junhong back to the Ravenclaws’ table. They sat down and the silver-haired male saw the younger pout before presumably whining about what just happened.

Since the two of them personally delivered the letter, Daehyun thought it must be of some importance and his heart raced at the thought of it coming from Youngjae. As he opened the parchment, he saw handwriting that he would recognize anywhere. The clean lines and curves spelling out a message: _‘Slytherin common room. Now.’_

As soon as the Gryffindor finished reading, he got up and ran towards the door. He didn’t care that people were staring at him; the only thing that mattered was that Youngjae wanted to see him.

Having memorized the route to the Slytherin Dungeon, he arrived in record time. He was halfway down the stairs when he realized that the message didn’t contain the password but he didn’t really care; he would just wait until some Slytherin unlocked it. He just hoped that Youngjae wouldn’t be cross at him for having to wait so long.

Thankfully, the Gryffindor didn’t have to do that as the Slytherin was waiting for him by the wall that marked the entrance. “I realized I forgot to write the password in the letter,” he simply said before entering. Daehyun followed, reminded of the time they first met – or, well, the time that they first met for the second time. Daehyun was confusing himself, anxiousness setting in after the excitement.

They sat on one of the uncomfortable couches. The room was silent save for Youngjae’s slow breaths and Daehyun’s erratic ones. “Why haven’t I seen you around?” Daehyun blurted out before pausing. “Not that I was stalking to you or anything. I just didn’t see you around anywhere...” he trailed off, aware he was making things worse for himself.

The younger male looked a bit guilty, biting his lip before saying, “Well, Junhong bought a cloak of invisibility in order to study it and he let me borrow it during Quidditch. In the library, there are a few secret passages I found from my first year when it was practically where I lived. As for classes and a few other times, I just cast a Disillusionment Charm on myself and snuck by you.” Daehyun was baffled at the lengths Youngjae went to just to avoid him and feels a bit bad for giving the other such a hard time.

The silver-haired male cleared his throat, trying to get rid of the lump that was forming. Before he could speak, however, Youngjae grabbed his hand. His hands were cold in contrast to Daehyun’s warm ones. _He must have waited for a long time in that cold, dark room,_ Daehyun thought. After a short pause, the silver-haired male took both of the other’s hands in his and started blowing on them in an attempt to warm them intermittently. “Why did you wait for me for such long time that your hands became this cold, Jae?” Daehyun looked him in the eyes and faintly whispered, “You’re giving me false hope.”

The Slytherin closed his eyes and breathed in deeply before opening them. His eyes found Daehyun’s and he murmured, his voice wavering, “What if… it’s not false hope?” Removing his hands from the now-frozen male’s, Youngjae wrapped them around Daehyun’s waist. Pulling him close, Youngjae softly said, “I missed you, Dae.”

If not for the fact that the other’s body was so cold, Daehyun would have thought it was all a dream. He buried in face in the other’s neck, whispering against his skin, “I missed you too.”

* * *

Youngjae’s face when Daehyun had told him he wouldn’t be taking the N.E.W.T.s was priceless. His eyes widened and he stared at Daehyun like a gaping fish, causing the older to break out in laughter.

When he’d explained that he’d wanted to become a musician since he was a child, Youngjae hit his arm. “I thought you’d turn into one of those codgers sipping booze and living on the streets. Or mooch off of me.” The silver-haired male frowned at the thought. He didn’t even like alcohol all that much. Also, the black-haired male’s slap hurt a bit, but he didn’t want to show it because of his pride.

Suddenly, the Slytherin turned to him, looking confused. “Then what was I helping you with memorizing spells for?” At this, Daehyun chuckled.

“To get you to spend more time with me?” he said, eyes crinkling. When the other didn’t seem amused, Daehyun wrapped his arms around him. “C’mon, Jae, I just wanted to spend more time with you. You can’t fault me for being so in love with you that—” he stopped mid-sentence.

Both of them stiffened a bit before erupting into fits of giggles. Youngjae planted a kiss on his nose. “I get it, I get it. I love you too.”

* * *

“I did it, Dae!” An arm slung around Daehyun’s shoulder, pulling him into a tight hug.  The now red-haired male laughed, pulling away when they started to receive stares from the people around them.

“What? No ‘hello’ or ‘I missed you’ or anything?” he teased, faking a pout. He wasn’t, really, just a little bit. It _had_ been a few months since they’d last seen each other, since Youngjae didn’t want to go to Daehyun’s over winter break because of his N.E.W.T.s. Letters were a good way to communicate but they lacked warmth. “I’m hurt, Jae.”

The younger just rolled his eyes before continuing to speak with the same enthusiasm. “I’ve been accepted as an Auror and they want me to start right away.” Youngjae’s eyes were twinkling and seeing his lover so happy made Daehyun feel like pulling the other into a kiss. But not here; not in public. “I didn’t think they’d accept me after I’d barely gotten an Exceeds Expectations in Herbology.”

Daehyun scoffed. “Yeah, right, as if you’d actually choose to be an Auror without knowing for sure that they’d accept you. That doesn’t sound like the Youngjae I know,” he said fondly. After pausing for a moment, Daehyun moved closer, murmuring, “did you really not miss me? Not even a bit?”

The tips of Youngjae’s ears turned red. “Of course I did, you twit.” And suddenly, Daehyun was being pulled into a kiss, Youngjae’s smiling lips pressed against his own.

* * *

It was when Daehyun was moving and packing up his belongings that he saw an old box that contained most of his stuff from his time at Hogwarts. He remembered haphazardly throwing items into the box, a bit disheartened at the fact that he wouldn’t be able to spend as much time with Youngjae anymore. The memory brought a smile to his face. Well, now they saw each other even less due to Youngjae’s flourishing career. He supposed he was a bit bitter about that but his feelings of being proud of the other man overshadowed it.

Peering inside the box, he found a few uniforms, and some letters from Yongguk. Curiously, all but one were opened. Daehyun took the sole sealed letter and opened it, having found his old letter opener amongst the different paraphernalia. The single piece of parchment inside was slightly yellowed with age and, upon unfolding the letter, only contained a few words:

_‘Hall of Prophecies._

_D.J. to Y.B._

_About Yoo Youngjae.’_

Strangely enough, Yongguk hadn’t said a word to him about this letter even though its content seemed quite important. How important, Daehyun didn’t know, but it wasn’t like the older Auror to write letters like this. The whole _‘Hall of Prophecies’_ thing confused him as well.  He knew that it was somewhere inside the Ministry of Magic, though, and with luck, he might be able to stop by Auror’s office to see Youngjae. Just the thought of actually being able to see his lover after such a long time was enough to dismiss the sinking feeling in his stomach after he’d read the letter.

Humming softly and eyes crinkling, Daehyun placed the items back into the box before dusting off his shorts and trying to decide what he should wear for the outing.

* * *

The clock ticked as the minutes passed by. Even for just a few seconds, Daehyun needed to hear his lover’s voice. Needed to know everything was all right with him. That he was all right. Youngjae accused him of being too protective, but if only he knew the reason behind his actions…

Daehyun shook his head and decided he needed to speak to the other about what he’d found out. Immediately, his fingers dialled the number he’d memorized by heart, the soft _ping_ s of the buttons making his heart beat faster. The phone rings. Once. Twice. Three times, before there is an audible _click_ of the line connecting.

“Jae,” he started to say, but was cut off before he could continue.

“I’m busy,” the voice on the other side of the line interrupted, breathing heavily. “I’ll be free in a few minutes. Wait until then.” The call ended and Daehyun felt a bit less empty just by hearing the rough voice of his lover.

So he waited, and called when two minutes had passed. Nobody picked up. He calls five minutes later but there was still no response. Ten minutes passed. He called. Nobody answered. The clock ticked by, Daehyun calling every five minutes, but his calls were never picked up.

A few hours later, Daehyun was still calling, and, finally someone answered. But it wasn’t Youngjae. He recognized the voice to be Yongguk’s but he couldn’t understand anything that the older had said.

He could only make out one phrase: “I’m sorry.”

* * *

_That’s right. We were never meant to be together. I was too much, again. We should’ve learnt from our mistakes. It’s my fault. It’s all my fault. I forced you into this so selfishly. I should have thought of your feelings. I shouldn’t have held you back. I knew you were slipping away from my grasp and yet I…_

_I have so many regrets, loving you wasn’t one of them. No, never. But I loved you too much. Too much. Even more so now that my memories have returned._

_I know I’m lacking, but you told me to wait. So I’ll wait. However long it takes. For you._

**Author's Note:**

>  **Author's Notes** :
> 
> This is my first contribution to the fandom so I hope you enjoyed it! If it seemed a bit rushed, it was because I kept procrastinating writing this until the very last week before the deadline so... I had a lot of fun writing this but now, sadly, I have a five page paper due in a few hours that I haven't even started on...
> 
> Anyway, thank you to whoever sent this prompt and I hope I didn't disappoint you with how I interpreted it and wrote it.
> 
> Lastly, I'd like to express my gratitude to **andnowforyaya** for beta-reading this and being super helpful with her comments and suggestions. Thank you so, so much!


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